“A New Creation”
Luke 6:37-49
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:15
This word “new” is kainos in the Greek. It is not new in terms of time, which is a different word, neos. kainos is new in terms of quality. It underscores the “born again” experience in John 3. In that dialogue even Nicodemus, the elite teacher in the Sanhedrin, mixed the two up.
“How can a man be born when he is old?” he asked. Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” [Jn 3:5-6]
The born-again experience has nothing to do with age or time; it is a new quality of life; fueled and lived in and through the Spirit of God. You have a new engine, and that engine at the center of your being is the Spirit of God.
How does one become born again? The Bible is clear. You must confess you are a sinner. That means acknowledge that you are not perfect. “Sin” is an archer’s term and means missing the mark, the bull’s eye. And there lies the problem; we have all missed the mark of a sinless life, all except Jesus. And the result is that we cannot dwell fully in the presence of a Holy God in heaven. Therefore, we need Savior, we need Jesus, the God-Man Who became the perfect sacrifice to take away our sins. He has finished the work of redemption through the Cross of Calvary. Our only part is to receive that work in faith and call Him Lord. That is the profound, yet simple, Gospel of Grace. It is good news indeed!
Receiving this Gospel of Grace is what it means to be a new creation. “Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” There is a new engine that fuels your life; and He is called the Holy Spirit.
Our passage this morning concludes the Sermon on the Plane. Last week we looked at a New Perspective and a New Love predicated upon New Wine and New Wineskins. This morning we will conclude the Sermon by looking at a New Plumb Line; New Fruit; and a New Foundation.
For the child of God, it is out with the old and in with the new! Remember, upward and forward, never backward.
